An Old Goodbye and A New Hello
by anonymous-etonnant
Summary: On the ten year anniversary of Sirius Black's death, Albus Severus Potter is born.


Grimmauld Place was quiet on this particular June morning. For a change there was not a screaming toddler running about and no Weasley's popping in to say hello. Ginny and Harry Potter sat in one of Grimmauld Place's the small sitting rooms. Harry had been pretending to read the sports section of the Daily Prophet for the past hour, while Ginny had been absorbed in yet another parenting book. Occasionally she would glance up and look at him, concern scrawled across her pretty face. One hand placed on her nine month pregnant belly and another braced against the sofa so she could sit up.

"Harry." Ginny said once she had gotten herself resituated. When her husband didn't respond she repeated his name again this time louder, "Harry."

"Yes dear?" Harry asked, barley glancing up at her.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked quietly. Today was going to be a hard day for her husband, Ginny knew that and that's why she had sent James to her mother's house for the day. Exactly ten years ago today Sirius Black, respected Order member, wrongly convicted criminal, the last of the Black line and most importantly Harry's Godfather had died. She saw Harry visibly wince at her question.

"No." He responded his tone hard and strong, but Ginny knew on the inside he was crying out. She knew exactly what it was like to still miss someone even after all this time. It had been eight years now and every day she still missed Fred and all of her fallen friends.

"Alright," Ginny told him quietly and silence again fell between them. She watched Harry set down the paper and lay his head in his hands.

After a few moments from behind his fingers he spoke so quietly Ginny had to strain to hear him, "When I was in my third year, right after we caught Wormatail he asked…" Harry's voice halted and it sounded as if he was taking a deep breath, "And I thought I might actually have a shot at a normal life, well as normal as I could get, and then Pettigrew escaped and the rest all happened so fast. One minute he was there and the next he was gone." Ginny scooted closer to her husband and wrapped an arm gently around his shoulders, "And I have always wondered what it would have been like if we had had that chance." Harry concluded with a few shuddering breaths.

"I'm sure it would have been marvelous." Ginny comforted him squeezing him in a one armed hug.

"There's just so much we never got to talk about." Harry murmured resting his head on his wife's shoulder, "I would give anything to be able to talk to him one more time, to say goodbye." He added quietly and Ginny felt her shoulder growing wet with her husband's tears, "I wish I had been able to say goodbye."

"I do to." Ginny said quietly, "He was a good man Harry. He took helped as best he could even though he was frustrated at his situation. Though I didn't know all that well I do wish I had been able to say goodbye and thank him for all he did."

"I feel guilty sometimes," Harry told her, "Because I feel like I've spent more time grieving and missing him more than I have my parents."

Ginny's heart was breaking as she listened to her husband's sorrowful words, "Don't feel guilty." She said gently, "You knew him Harry. You and Sirius had time to build a bond, while you can't even remember your parents."

"But they were my parents." Harry sat up and wiped his tears away, "I feel like I should miss them more."

"I don't think it matters who you miss more." Ginny told him gently, "I think it must matters that you miss them and you do."

""Every day." Harry whispered, looking at her with his tear stained face,

"I know," Ginny told him, "We all miss someone. The war affected all of us and it affected you the most."' Harry snorted.

"You mean it completely destroyed my life and my family?" He asked bitterly.

"Well I don't know about you, but I think your life and family are pretty damn good now." Ginny said, trying to keep the resentment out of her voice, "Don't you?"

"Of course Gin." Harry replied in an apologetic tone, "You know what I meant though."

Ginny nodded, "I do know, but now you have me and James and this little guy." She added pointing to her stomach.

"What are we gonna name you?" Harry asked leaning down and talking to Ginny's swollen belly, "Sirius?" He asked tilting his head to look back up at his wife.

Ginny shook her head, "That's James' middle name darling." She told him a sensitively as possible.

"Oh yeah, you're right." Harry said smacking himself lightly in the forehead, "Well I want to name him for someone who died in the war." He added and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Collin?" Ginny asked questioningly and Harry shook his head.

"I don't know." Harry said thoughtfully, "I don't really like the sound of Collin Potter. What about Remus?"

"That's Teddy's middle name." Ginny reminded him a small smile tugging at her lips at her husband's forgetfulness, "Plus when Teddy grows up and gets married he might want to name his son for his father."

Harry nodded and the two lapsed into silence for a few moments, "What about Severus?" he asked. After all without the old potions professor the war may not have ended the way it did, with Harry and most of his friends surviving.

"I am not naming my child Severus!" Ginny exclaimed crinkling her nose, "That is awful. I mean it's up there with Billius and Ernie."

"Fine," Harry said rolling his eyes, "What if we made it his middle name?"

Ginny nodded, "That sounds fair." She compromised, "What about his first name?"

"I don't know Gin." Harry shook his head, 'I guess we'll figure it out when he comes along." Ginny opened her mouth to speak and then froze, "What is it Gin?" Harry asked, his ace turning concerned.

"I think that maybe sooner rather than later." Ginny said quietly, "Harry we should probably head to St. Mungo's now." She added upon seeing her husband's blank expression.

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"No!" James exclaimed, "He can't name my grandson after Snape!" James cried, looking down at his son in disbelief.

The small group of people clustered around the viewing portal either chuckled or moaned in agreement with James. Among those who agreed with James was, surprisingly, Severus Snape himself.

"I refuse to share a name with a relative of that." Snape growled furiously glaring at Harry.

"Oh please Snivelous," James scoffed, "We all know you've always wanted your name to be introduced to the Potter line."

"Would you two stop bickering?" Lily snapped at her husband and friend, "It is only going to be the baby's middle name, which you two would know if you had been paying attention and not arguing." She paused a moment to give both of them a disapproving look and then continued, "Plus I think it is wonderful that Harry wants to honor someone who has done so much for him-"

"But he's the reason we're dead." James whined, cutting his wife off.

"James don't you think instead of standing here whining like a child, you should be off cheering your best friend up?" Lily asked. She looked as if she was going to say something else but down below Ginny announced the baby was coming and successfully distracting Lily.

With one scathing look at Snape, James walked off to find Sirius. He found his best friend sitting by the lake. The scene around him reminded James of Hogwarts. Sirius must have been thinking about their childhood days, causing the area around him to take this form.

"Hey Padfoot," James said quietly, sitting down next to his best friend.

"Hey." Sirius replied despondently.

"You okay?" The other man asked, looking cautiously at Sirius.

"I'm dead Prongs. I've been dead for ten years." Sirius' voice sounded strained as if saying the words was difficult, "I had plans for after my name was cleared. I wanted Harry to move in with me, I wanted to date people, get married, have a son of my own and now I can't do any of that. I was in prison for thirteen years and then when I got out I let the one person who could clear me name escape."

James couldn't help but note how miserable Sirius sounded. This wasn't the cheerful friend he was used to. However after knowing Sirius for so many years James knew how to help his friend out of these dark places that he sometimes drifted into, "I know Sirius. I t was so hard to watch you from up here, knowing-"

Suddenly there was a rustling from behind the two men. They turned to see Remus coming to join them by the lake.

"Hey Moony," James greeted as Remus sat down on the other side of Sirius.

"Lily said I could find you two here." Remus said grinning sadly at his two friends.

"Knowing you were innocent and not being able to do anything to free you." James continuing what he had been saying before Remus came over, "It was awful."

"At least you had Lily." Sirius said bitterly, "I had no one. I was in that horrible place for so long alone, and then my dear cousin Bella came to joining me which made the experience oh so much more pleasant."

"Yeah James, you had Lily, you might have been dead but you weren't alone." Remus agreed with Sirius, "Sirius and I were left alone, without even the other to comfort us over the death of our best friend. Those months after you died, with Sirius locked away and Peter gone…they were awful," Remus' voice was full of so much pain it was rare that he ever spoke of those months, those years he had spent alone and friendless. The trio lapsed into a heavy silence before James spoke.

"You know I envy you two."

"Why?" Remus asked curiously.

"Because you got to know him, you got to talk to Harry, to comfort him and to guide him. I would have sacrificed anything to have been able to do that, to have been able to know my son for more than that short year." James smiled sadly at his friends, "I was even jealous of Snape for a while."

The other men chuckled, "I know how you feel." Remus told James, "I envy Harry when I see him holding Teddy, teaching him things, talking to him." There were another few moments of silence as the three best friends thought about how much they had left behind. This silence was shattered by Tonks' voice calling,

"Ginny's had the baby!"

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The second Potter boy was born at 5:29pm on June 18th, only a few hours away from the time of Sirius' death. However despite the grim anniversary Harry and Ginny were filled with joy at the sight of their second son.

The door to Ginny's hospital room swung open and in walked Ron and Hermione, who was holding a squirming James in her arms.

"Dahie, Momma!" James called out when he saw his father and mother. Hermione set the two year old down and he immediately ran to Harry, who scooped his eldest son up in his arms, planting a kiss on the top of his head.

"Hey James, this is your little brother." Harry told his son, pointing to the sleeping infant in Ginny's arms.

James peered down at his little brother a concerned look upon his face before finally pronouncing, "Baby."

The adults chuckled, "That's right Jamie," Ginny told her son, "Baby."

"He's beautiful." Hermione said coming up beside her sister in-law and looking at her nephew. Her hand rested on her own pregnant belly and a soft smile was on her face.

"I know." Ginny replied grinning up at Hermione, "You'll have your own soon." She added and Hermione's smile grew.

"I can't wait." She said.

"I can." Ron muttered under his breath so only Harry could hear, "Have you guys' decided on a name yet?" He said louder.

"Well we're decided his middle name is going to be Severus." Ginny said a small frown creasing her tired face, "But we couldn't pick a first name. Harry wants to name him after someone who died during the war." She added, looking hopefully at the two for suggestions.

"What about Albus?" Hermione asked and Ginny and Harry's faces lit up.

"I love that." Ginny exclaimed smiling up at her husband and then down at the baby in her arms.

"Albus Severus Potter." Harry murmured, "Named after two of the greatest headmasters Hogwarts has ever seen."

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"NO!" James and Sirius exclaimed for the second time that day.

"Not my grandson." James said almost pleasingly down to his son. Sirius stood beside him nodding in fervent agreement.

"He could have named him after anyone more…" Sirius trailed off trying to think, "Just not Snape."

"I think it's a wonderful name." Tonks told the two boys rolling her eyes, 'Don't you Remus."

Her husband made a strange choking sound before responding, "Yes dear. I think it is a lovely name." He said in a strangled tone. James and Sirius gave him skeptical looks, but he glared at them as if to say _'Don't rock the boat'_.

"It's ironic," Lily told James, "How you hate him and your son names his grandson after him."

James snorted, "Yeah it's hilarious." He muttered sarcastically.

"Severus doesn't mind does he?" Lily asked Snape giving him a look.

"No not all." Snape said quickly, obviously scared of his best friend's wrath.

"So you see James Sev is acting like an adult so why don't you do the do the same?" Lily questioned her husband with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine," James grumbled, "But when our grandson grows into a greasy haired, hook nosed git don't blame it on me."

Lily rolled her eyes exasperatedly, "Always the optimist you are."


End file.
